MY OCTOPUS TEACHER
(directed by James Reed & Pippa Ehrlich, 2020)
**** (out of 5)
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> A popular Netflix crowd-pleaser, this lovely film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature.
. It tells the sweet story of photographer Craig Foster, a troubled man whose life took a dark turn. Tormented by depression, Foster takes up diving for succor, in the rich kelp forest off the coast of South Africa, where he unintentionally strikes up a surprisingly personal relationship with nature in the form of one wild “common octopus” who seems anything but common. Over time, the creature seems to become inured to his daily presence, gradually coming to form a kind of inter-species bond with Foster that is touching and wondrous to behold.
. Common octopuses only live just over one year, and they are yummy food for a host of hungry predators. This underwater garden may be hauntingly beautiful with it’s languidly swaying fingers of kelp, but it’s an eat-or-be-eaten ecosystem for the creatures who live there. Foster becomes so attached to the wily little feller (as do we!), that he constantly frets about the sharks that cruise for snacks near his friend’s den.
. Over the year of daily visits, Foster is able to see subtle changes in the environment that could easily be overlooked otherwise, and he gradually becomes more scientist than photographer. The octopus becomes in a way, his teacher (and ours!), and helps him heal the inner hurt that waylaid his life. MY OCTOPUS TEACHER is a lovely film, predictably beautiful to look at, but surprisingly emotional. Who would have though a mollusk could be such an endearing creature?
– Life is the ultimate teacher; nature the ultimate blessing.
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© Kevin Paul Keelan and lastcre8iveiconoclast, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kevin Paul Keelan and lastcre8iveiconoclast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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